terrorism

Mass Gathering in defence of street photography

I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! invite all Photographers to a mass photo gathering in defence of streetphotography.

Following a series of high profile detentions under s44 of the terrorism act including 7 armed police detaining an award winning architectural photographer in the City of London, the arrest of a press photographer covering campaigning santas at City Airport and the stop and search of a BBC photographer at St Pauls Cathedral and many others. PHNAT feels now is the time for a mass turnout of Photographers, professional and amateur to defend our rights and stop the abuse of the terror laws.

As UN Human rights Day approaches this week Dale Farm is still intact and NUJ lawyers have today submitted a letter to the IPCC about the treatment I faced from policemen who stopped me under s44 of the Terrorism Act at the wedding, who took my camera and said I could have been doing “Hostile Reconnaissance”

I have been covering the lives and struggles of travellers in the UK since 1996 and more recently the problems for Roma gypsies across Europe. See the destruction of Sulukule, the oldest gypsy community in the world and the conditions in the camps around Rome

This week I was invited back to Dale Farm to document a double wedding, son and daughter of Peal (pictured) see the web gallery here

Seeing as the police don’t seem to recognise the legitimacy of press card these days. We thought we would make our status clear with our own badge..

We have seen artists arrested under the terrorism legislation.

A local historian stopped and searched for photographing a plaque on a bench.

I was also detained by police in the London Docklands before Christmas whilst covering a traveller wedding and accused of doing ‘hostile reconnaissance’. Read the Guardian and other related articles here

Enough is Enough.

Monday 16th February 2009 will see the enforcement of Section 76 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008. As the British Journal of Photography (BJP) wrote last month,

“The relationship between photographers and police could worsen next month when new laws are introduced that allow for the arrest – and imprisonment – of anyone who takes pictures of officers ‘likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism’.”

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has teamed up with Mark Thomas (writer, broadcaster, comic and political activist), Chris Atkins (the BAFTA nominated director and writer of the feature film documentary Taking Liberties), and many more for a “media event” outside New Scotland Yard on Monday 16 February 2009. The plan is simple, turn up with your camera and exercise your democratic right to take a photograph in a public place.

More info about the background to this “media event” visit the NUJ here